The present invention relates to fly-fishing apparatus and methods.
The popularity of fly-fishing has been increasing over the last twenty-five years. The growth in popularity has been accompanied by and, in part, driven by, advances in fly tying materials, rod and reel technology, and improved hook and line construction. The basic fly or lure presented to a fish, with the exception of sharper hooks and some synthetic tying materials, however, has not changed.
The bulk of flies used in angling are tied with natural feathers, fur or synthetic materials onto a variety of hook sizes and shapes with the purpose of imitating a fish's natural food items. These include, but are not limited to, aquatic nymphs, insects floating on top of the water, other fish, ova, and terrestrial animals. A fish is hooked when a fly, with its integral hook, is taken into the fish's mouth and the angler pulls back on the fly rod to “set the hook” in the fish's mouth.
The increase in popularity of fly-fishing has resulted in an increase in angling pressure on the fish, as more and more people fish waterways. The increase in angling pressure, however, has been mitigated, in part, by a new ethic that promotes the catch and release of fish. As a result, some state agencies have set aside waters that require all fish to be released unharmed. In such waterways, fish are often caught multiple times during the course of a season. Many believe that these fish learn to avoid cues associated with an angler presenting a fly as a result of being caught more than once.
The anecdotal belief that fish can become educated is supported by scientific research that demonstrates that fish can learn to avoid adverse situations, and this memory can last for more than a year. See, for example, J. W. Adron, P. T. Grant & C. B. Cowey, A System for the Quantitative Study of the Learning Capacity of Rainbow Trout and its Application to the Study of Food Preferences and Behavior, J. Fisheries Biol. 5:625–36 (1973) and Roger Young & John Hayes, Does Increased Fishing Pressure Make Trout Harder To Catch?” Cawthron Research News (January 2000), at 1. It is believed that the three most important negative cues to a fish are the exposed hook shape and the diameter and index of refraction of the line. It is believed that color and size of the fly are important but not as much as the factors outlined above.
Many anglers recognize some of these negative signals given to the fish by using too large a line diameter, improper fly speed (drag), and improper color and shape of flies. Anglers, in an effort to overcome these negative cues, at times utilize the lightest of lines and go to great lengths to match the size shape and color of a natural. Angling literature stresses that the difference of matching a 5 mm natural with a 6 mm imitation can be critical. Nowhere, however, has the impact of the exposed hook been discussed. The exposed hook for the commonly used size 12 fly is 30% of the area of the entire fly and 40% as large as the dressed (imitated) part of the fly. The vision of most fish is extremely acute and is especially true for trout. Adult trout routinely feed on food organisms as small 2 to 3 mm. The exposed hook length of a size 12 fly is 14 mm. Doug Swisher & Carl Richards, Selective Trout 20–26 (Crown Publishing Group 1972), state that the wing shape of a floating fly is the first thing a trout sees and determines whether the fish will contemplate taking the fly. Using pictures therein, it is easy to infer that the first image a trout sees is the hook. Humans view flies and assess their viability on the shape size and color. Our intelligence allows us to eliminate the hook shape from consideration. Fish with lesser intellect see the entire object and cannot dismiss 30 to 40% of the mass.
Fish can be very selective at times in the choice of their preferred foods. Anglers continually change flies to find the constantly changing preferred food item and its imitation. Changing a fly by the current state of the art requires the line to be broken and a new fly tied on. Altering the flies on a line is time-consuming and cumbersome, and causes great frustration to those with poor eyesight or without the nimblest of fingers.
Some anglers in order to more quickly find the preferred food choice or to increase their statistical odds utilize two or more flies. As stated in Fly Fish America, (March 2002) pp. 20–23, “The use of two flies is not for everyone and does require more time to rig, dealing with tangles and hooking yourself every now and then.” The second fly's hook tangling around the main line during the cast causes the problems, and the free-swinging fly presents a hazard to the angler's hand while trying to unhook a fish.
Further problems arising when using current integrated hooked flies include the size of the fly and/or the hook and the number of flies an angler must carry. Large flies are constructed on large hooks to provide for a sufficient gap between the hook point and the fly body needed to engage the fish's mouth. The large size of the exposed hook increases the probability that a fish will refuse the fly due to hook exposure. In many fisheries with small trout or smolt, large hooks can and do permanently injure these fish. Also, many of the light fly rods do not have a backbone that can structurally support setting large hooks in a fish. The problem is exacerbated when using light lines since the force needed to set a large hook may exceed the breaking strength of the line.
In addition, many alternative fly types are needed depending on the fish sought. As an example, beaded flies in a variety of weights and patterns have become popular. Current beaded fly production involves pushing the point of the hook through a hole in the bead and pushing the bead to the eye of the hook. The remainder of the fly is tied with the hook integrated as a permanent part of the fly. The angler must carry numerous fully tied flies to cover the range of beaded, non-beaded, weighted, and un-weighted flies as well as the different finishes.
In view of these considerations, new fishing flies are needed to help anglers in their quest for fish. Further, new methods of presenting fishing flies are also needed.